Just finished putting up the trip report from 2008 when Andrew and I decided to drive out to New Mexico since we missed the mountains. As you spiral out on the map from Houston, the first real peaks you come to are in New Mexico, 16 hours away. We planned the trip while I was working night shift in WY the month before, and decided to hit the road soon after I got back to Houston in late June. We would take the long 4th of July weekend, with a few extra days off the following week.

One point of contention was which car to take. My car had A/C, cruise, and all the luxuries that come with german cars, but the trail head parking lot was notorious for getting broken into, and we weren’t sure what kind of roads we would encounter in the park. Thus I convinced Andrew that driving in his Jeep, that didn’t have A/C or a radio (since it was stolen a few months prior), would be our better option since there was a slim to nil chance anyone would want to break in. As we sat in rush hour traffic after work on I-45N, in a standstill, in 100 degree weather, trying to leave Houston, we started to have second thoughts. However, the small portable radio with an iPod adapter, worked better than anticipated, kept our spirits up, and the rest is history, as they say.